In general, in such a system, the user has a mobile station constituted by a mobile terminal which co-operates with a subscriber identity module (referred to as a "SIM card" in the GSM Standard). Generally, the SIM card is a smart card designed to be inserted into a mobile terminal to enable said terminal to be used.
More precisely, the invention relates to an improved method enabling a predetermined list of items to be downloaded into a mobile terminal controlled by a subscriber identity module.
Conventionally, a pair comprising a terminal and a subscriber identity module offers various facilities specific to the subscriber, to the network and to security. Such facilities are, for example:
the possibility of storing abbreviated numbers (telephone directories); PA1 the possibility of storing short messages; PA1 the possibility of storing the identities of preferred network operators; PA1 the possibility of obtaining consumption information (prepaid cards); PA1 the possibility of storing a fixed list of telephone numbers (subscriber restricted to making calls to numbers in the list stored in the subscriber identity module); PA1 the possibility of storing roving management information (location of the subscriber in the GSM network); PA1 the possibility of storing the international mobile subscriber identity number (in compliance with the IMSI-TMSI Standards); PA1 the possibility of storing data characteristic of the cell (such as BCCH information); PA1 the possibility of authenticating the subscriber with the network; and PA1 the possibility of authenticating the subscriber passively by means of a CHV1 secret code. PA1 the subscriber identity module transmits a downloading command to the terminal to download items from said list; and PA1 the terminal receives said downloading command and executes it. PA1 means for temporarily storing a downloading command of the type containing an end-of-downloading mark; and PA1 means for receiving a message confirming that each downloading command in said set of commands has been taken into account. PA1 receive means for receiving a set of commands comprising at least one downloading command in which items from said predetermined list of items are distributed; said commands being organized to be transmitted successively when said set comprises at least two downloading commands; each downloading command containing an end-of-downloading mark that takes either a first valve or a second value depending on whether or not said downloading command is the only or last command in said set of commands; and PA1 execution means for executing each downloading command in said set of commands, so that, as a function of the value of said end-of-downloading mark, said terminal knows whether or not all of the items in said list have been transmitted by said subscriber identity module.
However, a major drawback remains. The subscriber identity module cannot directly influence the behavior of the mobile terminal of the user by managing presentation of new services to the user.
To mitigate that drawback, GSM Recommendation 11.14 phase 2.sup.+ defines the ground rules for implementing a toolkit in the subscriber identity module, and for enabling operators to create their own specific applications independently of the mobile terminal used, provided that said terminal is compatible with GSM Recommendation 11.14 phase 2.sup.+.
Furthermore, to make it possible to dialog with and to use the toolkit, GSM Recommendation 11.11 phase 2.sup.+ specifies the mechanisms that make the two portions (the mobile terminal and the subscriber identity module) interoperable.
In other words, the subscriber identity module has commands available that it can have executed by the terminal.
Conventionally, certain commands, and in particular the "SET UP MENU" and "SELECT ITEM" commands in the GSM Standard, are used to transmit a list of items to the terminal. Such commands are referred to below as "downloading commands". Currently, to transmit any one list of items, the subscriber identity module can only send a single downloading command, and sending a new downloading command replaces the previously transmitted items accordingly.
Unfortunately, any one downloading command can transmit only a limited number of bytes (256 at the most in GSM), which is the equivalent of an average list of about 18 items (because the items are of various sizes).
It is easy to understand that such a limitation on the number of items that can be downloaded into the terminal constitutes a limitation on the added-value services that can be offered by the pair comprising the terminal and the subscriber identity module. This is particularly frustrating since subscriber identity modules have increasingly large memories enabling them to store a very large amount of data and in particular data relating to services.